Appabattts fob bolling btbip metal



Jan. 19, 1932. a. R. SHOVER 1,841,645

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING STRIP METAL Filed July 6, 1926 INVEN'IOR WITNESS Patented Jan. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application fled July 6,

In the rolling of long steel or other metal strip which is not reheated during the rolling operation, it is impossible because of heat losses to reduce the metal to the thin gages i frequently desired, and for the same reason it is diificult to maintain uniformity of the heavier gages to which the metal may be reduced. Also, the loss of heat results in such hardening of the strip in the final roll pass or passes that considerable annealing is necessary before the metal may be'used or further worked. The heat losses of the stri are due, first, to conduction by its contact wit the cool metal of guides, transfer tables, troughs, and

such other instrumentalities as are used to convey or direct the strip from one to another of successive roll passes, and secondly, to radiation of heat to the atmosphere from the exposed strip as it moves from one roll pass to another. Aside from these and other rejture.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and effective apparatus for rolling strip, whereby dissipation of heat from the strip is largely eliminated so that the strip may be rolled to more uniform and to lighter gages, and whereby oxidation of the strip may be materially reduced, and the cost of production of the strip substantially lowered.

The characteristic feature of this invention consists in reeling hot rolled strip as it emerges from a roll pass. In doing this the sides of the strip are quickly brou ht into direct contact with each other so hat the heat of the strip is not dissipated either by conduction or radiation, and so that the sides of the strip areprotected against oxidation. The strip with its heat thus conserved and 1926. Serial. Io. 180,785.

so protected against oxidation is then transferred to a osition for feeding it directly from the rec into a second roll ass. This reeling and unreelin of the strip may be, and according to this invention preferably is, repeated through a succession of roll passes until the strip is reduced to the desired ga e. However, several reels of hot strip may e so placed that the strips may be simultaneously unreeled and fed into a single roll pass in stacked arrangement.

In the preferred practice of the invention a blank is rough rolled in any suitable or desired arrangement of rolls until it is reduced to such thickness that it ma be reeled as it emerges from the rolls. Ad acent to the discharge side of the pass from which the strip is to be reeled there is an automatic motordriven reel for catching and tightly reeling it. The reel may, if desired, be suitably heated not only to prevent dissipation of heat by conduction from the strip into the reel, but also to compensate for the small amount of heat that may be previously lost. The reel is preferably mounted for convenient transfer to a position for feeding the strip directly from the reel into the succeeding roll pass; While various forms of transfer apparatus may be provided, by way of example the successive pairs of rolls may be arranged substantially end to end and the reel mounted upon a turret or turn-table which may be rotated to move the reel from its strip-receiving to its strip-discharging position. The turret may I c provided with two reels diametrically arranged so that one strip may be received from the discharge side of a pair of rolls and another may be fed into the entering side of a succeeding pair of rolls. This procedure and arrangement of apparatus may be repeated between each successive ass This generally described em diment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic plan view of roughingmand finishing mills and of reels arranged tween adJaCent roll passes of the finishing mill.

As shown in the drawing, the roughing of blanks is effected in three stands of rolls 1, 2 and 3, the rolls 1 being driven by a motor 4,

and the rolls 2 and 3 by a motor 5. The ath of a blank in passin through these roug ing rolls is that genera 1y indicated by the dot and dash line 6. However, it will be understood that the roughing of blanks may be effected in any desired manner and on any suitably arranged roughin rolls.

The drawing shows a nishing mill consisting of five stands or pairs of rolls 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 arranged end to end, the rolls 7, 8 and 9 being driven by a motor 12 and the rolls 10 and 11 by a motor 13. Between the pairs of rolls 8 and 9, and on the discharge side of the former and the entering side of the latter, there is a reel support in the form of a rotatable turret 14 on which there are mounted two automatic reelers 15 and 16 which may be driven by motors 17 and 18, respectively. Similarly, reels 19 and 20 are mounted on a rotatable turret 21 arranged between the pairs of rolls 9 and 10, the reel 19 being shown in a position to receive a strip from rolls 8, and the reel 20 in a position from which a strip may be fed directly from it into rolls 9. This general arrangement is shown as being repeated between each of the succeeding pairs of rolls in the finishing mill.

As a strip emerges from the first pair of rolls 7 it is caught and automatically reeled upon reel 15. Turret 14 is then turned to immediately place reel 15 in front of the second pair of rolls 8. A workman may engage the end of the strip by a pair of tongs and place it in the bite of rolls 8. or suitable mechanism may be provided for this purpose. While the strip is being withdrawn from reel 15 by rolls 8, a second strip may be coiled upon reel 16 when in the position opposite to that indicated in the drawing. At the discharge side of rolls 8 the strip is again automat' ally caught and coiled upon reel 19, and from this on the procedure is repeated until the strip is reduced to its desired gage.

In the practice of this invention very little heat is lost from the strip as it is passed through successive passes of the finishing mill. Because of this, strips are reduced to much thinner gages than heretofore possible, and, regardless of the gage to which it may be desired to reduce it, the thickness of each strip remains substantially uniform due to its being rolled at a relatively high temperature. and to the fact that each pass rolls the strip in the opposite, or reverse direction. Furthermore, oxidation of the surfaces of the strip is very substantially reduced, its sides being exposed to the atmosphere only while it is passing from one reel to another on opposite sides of roll passes. Because of this conservation of heat, loss rolling power is required. In addition to the advantages which have been pointed out, the apparatus essential for the practice of the invention is inexpensive and occupies a much smaller space be readily apparent to those skille art than the applaratus customarily used for rolling strip. hose and other advanta es will in t e The word strip as used throughout this specification and in the claims is not limited to metal of any maximum width. It is intended to include narrow strips as well as strips of a width which are customarily known as sheets, as for example strips of widths of sheet metal used in the manufacture of tin plate. Furthermore, while the invention applies primarily to the rolling of strip steel, it is also advantageous in the rolling of light sections, such as rods, small squares, hoops, and the like.

According to the provisions of the atent statutes I have described the princip e and mode of operation of my invention, and have diagrammatically illustrated the preferred construction and arrangement of apparatus. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than specifically described and on apparatus other than that particularly illustrated.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hot strip rolling mill, comprising two roll passes, a movable support provided with a pair of strip reels, and means for reeling upon one reel hot strip emerging from one roll ass while hot strip is simultaneously fed irectly from the other reel to the other roll pass.

2. A hot strip rolling mill, comprising two roll passes, a rotatable turret rovided with strip reels, and means for ree ing upon one reel hot stri emer in from one roll pass while hot strip is is dlrectly from the other reel to the other roll pass.

In testimony whereof, I sifin m name.

BARTON S IOVER. 

